Rasmussen Reports poll on online gambling

[91106guy]

The Rasmussen Reports is one of the most reliable polls, they find an even split on whether internet gambling should be illegal, although if it were up to Republicans, it would be. Also, only 3% of respondents said they gambled on the internet, so the "poker lobby" isn't exactly a force to be reckoned with.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006...etGambling.htm

[MagCFO]

what does the poker lobby have to do with a poll taken by Rasmussen?

The poker lobby isn't out there convincing all americans to play poker. You post makes no sense.

[ADS]

"Overall, 40% believe online gambling should be illegal and 41% disagree."

"Forty-seven percent (47%) of Republicans say online gambling should be illegal and 33% say it should not. Democrats are evenly divided with 41% on each side of the issue."

The above two statements in the article, simply do not jive with each other, unless there are a significant number of non-partisan respondents who pushed the number to a 41/40 margin against making it illegal.

ideas?

[NickMPK]

[ QUOTE ]
"Overall, 40% believe online gambling should be illegal and 41% disagree."

"Forty-seven percent (47%) of Republicans say online gambling should be illegal and 33% say it should not. Democrats are evenly divided with 41% on each side of the issue."

The above two statements in the article, simply do not jive with each other, unless there are a significant number of non-partisan respondents who pushed the number to a 41/40 margin against making it illegal.

ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I'm sure about 30% of respondents are identified as Independents. Independents now poll much closer to Democrats than Republicans in issue surveys.

[RGL]

And Libertarians (what few there are) are overhelmingly anti-legislation.

[adios]

[ QUOTE ]
what does the poker lobby have to do with a poll taken by Rasmussen?

The poker lobby isn't out there convincing all americans to play poker. You post makes no sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok perhaps the poll isn't indicative of the strength of the online poker lobby if you will (a lobby that seems weak to me FWIW) but it does indicate something about how important the issue is to the voting public IMO.

To OP thanks for posting this.

[LuckyTxGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
they find an even split on whether internet gambling should be illegal, although if it were up to Republicans, it would be.

[/ QUOTE ]

That comment is debatable. First off, they only polled 1,000 people. Second, 47% of Republicans said it should be illegal and if you'll notice the polling data at the bottom of the page, the poll has a +/- error margin of 3%. Sooo, in a bigger sample you might find that only 44% of Republicans are for the legislation. To take that step further, you COULD, in theory, also find that the number of Democrats who are for the legislation goes up 3% to 44%, exactly equal to Republicans. Doubtful, but possible if we believe these pollsters. And you cannot say that it is not possible, because we are just using the data given to us by the pollster. If we can't believe all their data, we can't believe any of it.

My point is simply this....I'm just tired of people trying to paint all the Republicans and Conservatives as a bunch of anti-gambling nuts. Their might be a small portion of the people who are but most are not. That might have been more true 30 years ago, but the modern day Conservative is not the anti-gambling nazi that some folks on here want to believe. I'm a born again, Southern Baptist Christian living in the Bible Belt and without a doubt the majority of the people I know are NOT anti-gambling and many themselves in fact play poker or go to casinos on occasion. Just because some people are for something and a couple pet-project sentors/congressman forced something thru, it does not necessarily reflect the views of the whole constituent base.

Just throwing that out there. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Moneyline]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm just tired of people trying to paint all the Republicans and Conservatives as anti-gambling. Their might be a small portion of the people who are but most are not. That might have been more true 30 years ago, but the modern day Conservative is not anti-gambling.

[/ QUOTE ]

No one is claiming all Republicans are against gambling. I think it is widely accepted that small government Republicans are strongly against this legislation. I believe it is also widely accepted that this sort of Republican has lost favor over the last 30 years. The kind of Republican that has gained stature in the party over that time period are members of the "religious Right" like yourself. So while you personally may not be anti-gambling, the leadership of the Conservative Christian moviement most certainly is. In fact, if it weren't for groups like the Southern Baptist Convention and American Family Association the online gambling ban would have certainly had far less congressional support.

FWIW, I edited the words "nuts" and "nazis" out of the original quote as these were used as a quasi- ad hominem attack.

[PairTheBoard]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Overall, 40% believe online gambling should be illegal and 41% disagree."

"Forty-seven percent (47%) of Republicans say online gambling should be illegal and 33% say it should not. Democrats are evenly divided with 41% on each side of the issue."

The above two statements in the article, simply do not jive with each other, unless there are a significant number of non-partisan respondents who pushed the number to a 41/40 margin against making it illegal.

ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I'm sure about 30% of respondents are identified as Independents. Independents now poll much closer to Democrats than Republicans in issue surveys.

[/ QUOTE ]

The implication on this poll is that Independents must have been heavily against making online gambling illegal. That's the only way the figures can jive. Either that or there's a mistake in the reporting of the figures above.

PairTheBoard

[donkeylove]

[ QUOTE ]
"Overall, 40% believe online gambling should be illegal and 41% disagree."

"Forty-seven percent (47%) of Republicans say online gambling should be illegal and 33% say it should not. Democrats are evenly divided with 41% on each side of the issue."

The above two statements in the article, simply do not jive with each other, unless there are a significant number of non-partisan respondents who pushed the number to a 41/40 margin against making it illegal.

ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

47%......that's a mandate to some presidents [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]